To say that George loves all things kitchen related would be a ridiculous understatement. He doesn’t just like “playing” kitchen…he likes using the real stuff, carefully stirring at the stove, watching every single step and trying it out himself. He even sort of non-verbally lures new guests or friends to lift him onto the counter near the mixer so he can touch it for a while (since he knows Jeff and I won’t). Obsessed would be a better word to use.
Since George is still mostly non-verbal, we had to guess what theme would be best for his birthday and “cooking” popped into my head as a fun thing for all kids to do! Here’s how we pulled it off: Continue reading
Okay, I’m not gonna lie. Speculaas cookies are a total b#*@h to make…but you can’t deny it, they are so lovely. I tend to shy away from things that take a lot of time, but I’ve had my speculaas molds for about 6 years and they were still brand new. Not anymore! I did it. I spent 12 hours pressing, cutting and baking these puppies to ship out to friends. Now my molds can go back into the cookie cutter drawer for another 6 years until I conveniently forget how tedious they were to make and then I’ll try again! I know I’m not really selling this to you as a cookie recipe, but what good is winter if not to zen out a whole day and make something completely beautiful in the kitchen? 
I’ve never used my mom’s ceramic cookie stamps and I’ve been dying to for years. I decided to make sugar cookies for my son’s therapy school teachers and thought the stamps would be perfect for banging out a large quantity of simple but gorgeous cookies. At the last second, I thought it might be pretty to dry brush some gel food coloring over the larger designs and they turned out great! These only took about 2 hours total to make, so they are perfect for a last-minute gift or for making in large quantities. 
Is there anything more wonderful than bread smeared with butter straight out of the oven? No. Not really. This nutty and fruity cinnamon swirl bread is my favorite bread to make around the holidays. It combines everything delicious into one loaf; cinnamon, sugar, nuts and dried berries swirled into a soft, squishy and ever so slightly chewy white bread. Don’t be scared of baking bread! I know it can be daunting, so I’ve broken it down with photos to help make it fool-proof. 
Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away! Here’s a photo of my pumpkin pie from last year. I always use the rolled Pillsbury pie crusts for cutting out decorations because they are evenly rolled and hold up nicely to intricate cutting, but I like a thicker, homemade crust for the base of the pie. Click through for the recipe! 
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